New Mexico is reversing course on its plans to charge some patients covered by Medicaid a monthly insurance premium of $10 and co-payments of $8 on certain brand-name drugs and visits to the emergency room for routine medical care.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the decision Wednesday to seek a reversal of provisions instituted by her Republican predecessor that were designed to conserve state spending on Medicaid.
Lujan Grisham says the new federally approved charges and limitations on eligibility threaten to limit access to emergency services and disrupt health coverage for hundreds of thousands of state residents covered by Medicaid insurance for the poor and disabled.
A letter requesting a reversal has been sent to the health care regulators at the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
